Denture-related stomatitis in new complete denture wearers and its association with Candida species colonization: a prospective case-series

Objectives: To assess the relationship between the development of denture-related stomatitis (DRS) and the identification of commonly isolated yeast species, and to evaluate various predisposing factors in Saudi participants wearing new removable dental prostheses.

Method and materials: A total of 75 edentulous male participants were recruited, and 64 patients finished the present case-series. All participants received new conventional complete dentures. Colonization of Candida species was assessed, and species were identified by means of the VITEK 2 (bioMérieux) laboratory components.

Results: The most prevalent type of Candida at baseline was C albicans, followed by non-C albicans species (C glabrata). Counts of Candida species significantly increased from the day of insertion to the first month (P < . 05), but there were no significant changes between the first and second month (P > . 05). On the day of insertion, C tropicalis, C dubliniensis, and C krusei were extracted from few subjects only, with no significant changes over the first and second month (P > .05). Patients revealing habits of sleeping with their dentures were found to frequently suffer from DRS; development of the latter was rapid, and mixed Candida biofilms (with high CFU/mL counts), along with inadequate oral and denture hygiene, turned out to be contributing factors (P < .05).

Conclusion: DRS can develop faster than previously reported, even with new dentures; continued denture wearing and poor cleaning of dentures revealed a considerable impact on DRS onset. In the present cohort, C albicans was the most identified kind of yeast, and was followed by C glabrata infection in cases with DRS.